


Eight Bells

by amusensical



Series: Carrying On [4]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode 181, M/M, Meanwhile Back at the Inn, Meanwhile Back on the Bear, Missing Scene, Walking on a Bear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28839552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusensical/pseuds/amusensical
Summary: Barnes and Carter return to the inn after their jaunt around the bear and their time together near the greenhouses, joining the kobolds and the rest of the crew.
Relationships: Commander James Barnes/Howard Carter (Rusty Quill Gaming)
Series: Carrying On [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097552
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	Eight Bells

**Author's Note:**

> These events are the evening of the same day that is described in Taste of Berries (previous work in this series), corresponding to the time frame of Episode 181.  
> If you skipped Taste of Berries, Carter continued to show Barnes around the bear, and they spent several hours together in a snug little building near the greenhouses.

The crew is together, still in the dining room when they walk in. Kobolds are at the big table where they usually sit. Earhart and the other crew are playing cards.

Carter goes right to the counter where the food is laid out, fills a plate, takes it to the big table, sits next to Natun. Sassraa is stood at the other end of the table, and they nod to each other, sit at the same time. 

Barnes steps up to the card table, near enough for conversation but not enough to see any cards. This game has been going on since yesterday. It’s likely all the crew’s worldly goods will have changed hands by the time the game is over, with chits for future watches and chores thrown in with the counters someone has brought from the ship. 

“Barnes.”

“Captain.”

“All right?”

“Very much.”

“No trouble?” 

“No trouble.” 

Barnes fills his plate, sits across from Carter. They don’t talk, just eat, focus narrowed to the plate, knife, cup. The kobolds are chatting around them, but after a minute they just watch them eat. Sassraa is at the end and goes over to the counter, gets a couple of pieces of bread, sets them on Barnes’ plate. Natun gets up, gets something like an apple, cuts it into chunks with their claws, leaves it on the table between their two plates. Driaak and Draal fill cups of water, swap out the empty cups. There’s a plate of the little pastries that look like scones, in the middle of the table, and Tadyka just pushes it over. Sassraa gets up again, gets more bread, sets it on Carter’s plate. They both just eat.

Barnes leans back, picks up one of the pastries, notices the other plates and cups. Carter sets his cup down and looks around, grinning. “Looks like we had a party.” 

The kobolds are back to chatting with each other but Sassraa has an ear cocked in the way Barnes recognizes as _waiting to be noticed_. 

“We were hungry,” he says, pitching his voice so they can all hear. “It was good to have more food.”

Carter’s the one who noticed that they don’t like to be thanked but they do like to be recognized. 

~

Barnes gathers up the plates, takes them to the kitchen and washes up. Carter brings in the cups and the last plate. 

“Going in,” says Carter.

“Soon for me, after check in with Earhart.”

“No cards tonight?”

“I’m right tired,” and the smile comes to the surface. 

Carter smiles back, bumps his shoulder.

“Yeh. See what you did.”

“Not sorry.”

~

When Barnes comes out of the kitchen, the kobolds and Carter are standing near the table, touching closed hands in the way they’ve gotten into the habit of using as greeting and goodbye. 

Whenever the kobolds meet, they touch, and again when they part. Barnes never noticed until the body swap, when he was in Sassraa’s body. All of the kobolds with each other, and some of them with Cel, and all of them with Hamid. Here at the inn, those who were kobolds for those strange days still continue. He and Carter and Earhart, even Friedrich, keep doing it.

As crewmates they touch hands, bumping fists. With each other the kobolds touch foreheads sometimes, and there are variations between pairings that Barnes hasn’t yet worked out. 

After everything, Carter and Natun unselfconsciously rub their faces against each other. Sassraa and Barnes touch hands, as crewmates, but often touch both hands, or just pause with their hands together. Barnes remembers, like the memory of a fever, being in Sassraa’s body. He wonders how much Sassraa thinks of Meerk in Barnes’ body, that last day. 

Sassraa has adopted - or possibly remembered - an uncanny imitation of Barnes’ nods, both the solemn affirmative that serves for everything from _you’re welcome_ to _that’s enough of that_ , and the glancing chin-lift that always means _go_. 

~

After a few minutes’ chat with Earhart, Barnes heads to the washroom. He hears running water and steps into the next shower, which for accuracy should be called a drizzle, but anyway it’s warm. 

The other shower is still running when he’s done. 

“Hey. Carter.”

No answer.

“Okay?”

No answer.

Barnes wraps the towel around his middle, moves the curtain aside and looks in. Carter is sat in the shower, water dripping on his back, fast asleep, head pillowed on his arms on the bench.

Barnes cranks closed the shower tap, takes the towel from the hook and drapes it over Carter’s back. If he’s lucky, it’s just a matter of waking him up enough to stumble to bed. 

He rubs the top of Carter’s back through the towel. 

“Hey. C’mon.” 

Carter swivels his head up, eyes slitted.

“S’cold.”

“Yeh. You’re in the shower.”

Carter closes his eyes, puts out his hand. Barnes pulls him up, starts rubbing the towel.

“Get off, go on.” Carter still has his eyes closed but pulls at the towel, dries himself off. Barnes steps back to the other shower, finishes drying and dressing. When he steps back Carter has pants on and the rest of his stuff in a bundle, seems to be asleep again on his feet.

Barnes curls his hand around the back of Carter’s neck, walks him to the bunkroom, sits him on the bed, pulls down the covers. Lays him down. _Lays him down._ This time, sleeping.

Until he can breathe again, he sits with his hand on Carter’s chest, over his heartbeat. 

~

It is very dark when he wakes, as if beckoned. 

Carter is on the floor between the beds with his back against Barnes’ bed, and he is breathing deeply with a low hum on the exhale, the humming a low susurration that is barely audible but intense enough to raise the hairs on Barnes’ neck. Barnes touches his shoulder, and Carter’s hand comes up to grasp his, gently, just holding. His hand and bare shoulder are warm. His eyes are closed and his expression is solemn. Barnes starts to drift back to sleep, then on one breath Carter stops after the inhale, pausing, then the exhale but no hum. Carter squeezes his hand, then lies down on the rug, sliding over to leave enough room. Barnes pushes the pillow onto the floor, tugs the quilt with him as he climbs out of bed, adjusting the pillow under both their heads and curling around Carter’s back. He doesn’t wake. 

**Author's Note:**

> The title refers to the measure and passage of time on board ship. I found [this page](https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Ships-Bell-Time) helpful. 
> 
> Thanks to sprint buddy [HoloXam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoloXam/pseuds/HoloXam), an inspiration in so many ways.


End file.
